Differences in educational achievement

Question 1

Pupils from __________ __________ are significantly more likely to enter __________ __________ than those from __________ __________.

Answer 1

professional backgrounds
higher education
unskilled backgrounds

Question 2

Pupils from _________-class backgrounds are more likely to study for _________ wheras _________-class pupils are more likely to take _________ courses.

Answer 2

middle
A-levels
working
vocational

Question 3

Pupils from __________ ______________ on average achieve lower scores on _____ and ______ and are more likely to be placed in lower _____.

Answer 3

unskilled backgrounds
SATs and GCSEs
sets

Question 4

What are some processes inside schools which affect differential educational achievement between different social classes.

Answer 4

1= Teacher labelling
2= Setting & Streaming
3= Subcultures
4= Language codes

Question 5

What did Becker say regarding differences in educational achievement between classes?

Answer 5

Becker said that teachers tend to evaluate pupils in comparison to an imaginary ideal pupil, by looking at their social class, as well as appearance, personality and speech.

Question 6

What did Ball find regarding setting and streaming?

Answer 6

Ball discovered that pupils in top streams tended to be from higher social classes.

Question 7

What did Woods find regarding subcultures?

Answer 7

Woods (1983) argued that there are lots of different reactions to school, but non-conformist reactions were more likely to come from working-class students.

Question 8

What are some factors outside of schools that can affect achievement between social classes?

Answer 8

1= Material deprivation
2= Cultural deprivation
3= Attitudes to education
4= Cultural capital

Question 9

What is material deprivation?

Answer 9

Material deprivation is the inability to afford basic necessities and items that are considered essential.

Question 10

What did Halsey say about differences in achievement between classes?

Answer 10

Halsey (1980) found that the most important factor preventing working-class students staying on at school was a lack of financial support.

Question 11

What did Douglass say about differences in achievement between classes?

Answer 11

Douglass (1964) found that children in unsatisfactory living conditions (poor housing, lack of nutritious food, overcrowding) didn’t do well in ability tests compared to those who came from confortable backgrounds.

Question 12

What impact may low income have on a child’s education?

Answer 12

Low income means less money for:
1= Books & resources
2= Internet access
3= School trips
4= Private schools
5= Support at university
6= Private tutors

Question 13

What impact may unsatisfactory living conditions have on a child’s education?

Answer 13

Unsatisfactory living conditions may lead to health issues, leading to absence from school and leaving them disadvantaged.

Question 14

What is cultural capital?

Answer 14

Cultural deprivation refers to the lack of certain cultural resources, skills, or knowledge that are typically considered beneficial for social and educational success.

Question 15

What did Douglass say regarding cultural deprivation?

Answer 15

Douglass (1964) thought that the level of parental interest was the most important factor affecting achievement. For example, middle-class parents are more likely to attend open evenings.

Question 16

What are some examples of cultural capital that middle-class children may have better access to?

Answer 16

1= Books
2= Museum visits
3= Home internet access
4= Parental knowledge of education

Question 17

What link is there between educational achievement and parental attitude?

Answer 17

Some styles of parenting emphasise the importance of education more than others. Also, those who saw the benefits of education first hand (educated parents) are more likely to push it for their children as they know its value, compared to working-class parents who may have felt education had no use to them, so it would have no use to their children either. (FEINSTEIN)

Question 18

What did Sugarman say about pupil attitudes to education?

Answer 18

Sugarman (1970) said that pupils from m-c backgrounds had different outlooks to w-c backgrounds. Those from w-c backgrounds had immediate gratification. The m-c were abitious and deffered their gratification by investing time in studying and planning for the future.

Question 19

What are some evaluations of material and cultural deprivation theorists?

Answer 19

1= Doesn’t explain how factors inside schools affect achievement.
2= Generalises alot about differences in m-c and w-c life.
3= Ignores w-c families who place high value on education.
4= Assumes w-c have no culture at all, meaning that it is an ethnocentric viewpoint.

Question 20

What are the two language codes and how do they differ?

Answer 20

The elaborated code is formal, complex and direct, wheas the restricted code is informal, simpler and context-dependent. The elaborated code is associated with the middle-class and the restricted code is associated with the working class.

Question 21

What did Bernstein say regarding language codes and educational achievement?

Answer 21

Bernstein said that working-class students were not comfortable with the style of language used at school. By contrast, middle-class students knew how to use the elaborated code. This put working-class students at a disadvantage in education.

Question 22

What are some evaluations of Bernstein’s theory?

Answer 22

1= There are variations within the classes - e.g. my accent is not the same as in windsor.
2= It idicates that w-c language is inferior or wrong.

Question 23

What did Labov say to criticise Bernstein’s theory?

Answer 23

Labov (1973) thinks that the elaborated speech code is just different, and that working-class speech patterns are not inferior.

Question 24

What did Bordieu say regarding differences in educational achievement between classes?

Answer 24

Bordieu (1974) said that m-c students are at an advantage because they have the right type of cultural capital. The more cultural capital you have, the more successful you will be. He believed that w-c students did not have access to cultural capital.

Question 25

What is cultural reproduction?

Answer 25

This is where middle-class families pass on cultural capital and expectations from parents to children.

Question 26

What is an evaluation of Bordieu's theory?

Answer 26

Not all working-clas student fail, even if they do not have cultural capital.

Question 27

What did Halsey say to criticise Bordieu's theory?

Answer 27

Halsey et al (1980) found that material factors are important. A lack of money may stop children from actually going to higher education. This is a real barrier, not a perceived one.

Question 28

Which ethnic groups tend to perform poorly in education? (in terms of being less likely to enter higher education)

Answer 28

1= Black pupils 2= White pupils 3= Bangladeshi pupils

Question 29

Which ethnic groups tend to perform well in education? (in terms of being more likely to enter higher education)

Answer 29

1= Indian pupils 2= Chinese pupils 3= Mixed ethinity pupils 4= Female blacks 5= Male Asians

Question 30

What processes inside schools may be influencing ethnic differences in achievement?

Answer 30

1= Labelling 2= School curriculum 3= Institutional racism

Question 31

What processes outside schools may be influencing ethnic differences in achievement?

Answer 31

1= Language 2= Family life

Question 32

How could labelling affect ethnic differences in educational achievement?

Answer 32

Gillborn found that teachers sometimes negatively label black students, and they were seen as a challenge to school authority and more likely to be excluded from school. Gillborn calls this the 'myth of the black challenge'.

Question 33

How could the school curriculum affect ethnic differences in educational achievement?

Answer 33

The curriculum could be seen to be ethnocentric, making those who see that their culture is not included feel exluded and isolated. This can make them feel not worthy and lead to unachievement.

Question 34

How could institutional racism affect ethnic differences in educational achievement?

Answer 34

If policies and attitudes unintentionally discriminate against minority groups, these pupils may feel like the system is 'against them' and not see the value of education and therefore lead to them achieveing less.

Question 35

What did Sofia-Mirza say about black girls?

Answer 35

Sofia-Mirza (1992) found that black girls actually had positive self-esteem and placed high value on their independence, and used discrimination as a way of propelling their achievement.

Question 36

How may language contribute to differences in educational achievement between ethnicities?

Answer 36

Language may be a barrier to achievement as immigrant children may struggle to understand content and/or be hindered by Bernstein's language codes. As well as this, they may be more likely to be negatively labelled?

Question 37

What may suggest language is not a barrier to educational sucess?

Answer 37

Driver and Ballard (1981) found that Asian children whose first language was not English were as good at English as their classmates by age 16.

Question 38

_______ and __________ (1981) say that close-knit __________ families and high __________ ___________ increase levels of achievement in Asian communities.

Answer 38

Driver and Ballard extended parental expectations

Question 39

What about African and Carribean households may be affecting achievement of their children?

Answer 39

High levels of divorce and single-parenthood could result in material deprivation. But - remember what Sofia-Mirza said about independence of these women??

Question 40

How may ethnicity combine with material deprivaton to affect achievement

Answer 40

Pakistani, Bangladeshi and African Carribean groups are more likely to be in lower class positions such as routine occupations, which may result in poor housing, poverty and material deprivation.

Question 41

How may ethnicity combine with material wealth to affect achievement?

Answer 41

Chinese, African Asian and Indian groups are more likely to be in higher class positions and less likely to experience material deprivation.

Question 42

Ethnic group: % on FSM: Bangladeshi ?? % Pakistani ?? % Indian ?? % Chinese ?? %

Answer 42

Ethnic group: % on FSM: Bangladeshi 38.5 % Pakistani 28.0 % Indian 9.7 % Chinese 7.4 %

Question 43

What are four facts about differential achievement between genders?

Answer 43

1= Girls get better results in primary school national curriculum tests. 2= Girls get better results in nearly every subject at GCSE. 3= Girls are more likely to pass their A-Levels. 4= More women than men go onto university in the UK.

Question 44

How has the national curriculum affected achievement between genders?

Answer 44

The national curriculum forced girls to do traditionally 'male' subjects. More girls now do sceince, encourgaed by schemes such as WISE and GIST.

Question 45

What did Swann say about differential achievement between genders?

Answer 45

Swann (1993) thinks that high female achievement is a result of the quality interaction between teachers. He says that girls spend time with teachers for help and boys spend time with them for behaviour management.

Question 46

What did Jackson say about differential achievement betweem genders?

Answer 46

Jackson (1998) said schools label boys negatively. Boys are associated with poor behaviour, which gives the school a bad name, poor acheievment and a bad league table position. Negative label becomes a self-fufilling prophecy.

Question 47

What did Archer say about differential achievement between genders?

Answer 47

Archer (2006) says that females still face problems at school. She argues that current underachievement masks continued problems girls still face. She says Asian girls are labelled as robots and black girls are labelled as loud and agressive.

Question 48

What factors outside schools may explain why females now do better?

Answer 48

1= Girls socialisation suits education 2= Policies such as the equal pay act has helped create more equal opportunities. 3= Girls priorities have changed. 4= Change in female expectations. 5= Changes in the labour market. 6= Changes in family structure.

Question 49

How has girls socialisation benefitted them in education?

Answer 49

Girls are socialised into ways of behaving that are well-suited to classroom environments - to be quieter, listen to authority figures and to read alot. They benefit from sharing the values of education.

Question 50

How has policies helped girls do better in education?

Answer 50

The Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimination Act have helped to create more equal opportunities in the wider society, helping to change the values of society and attitudes in school.

Question 51

How have changes in the labour market benefitted women in education?

Answer 51

Changes in the labour market have created opportunities for women. There has been continous increase in the service sector which is traditionally female-dominated and a shrink of the primary sector which is traditionally male-dominated.

Question 52

How have changes in family structure affected female achievement?

Answer 52

Changes in family structure have changed female aspirations. On average, women now marry and have children later in life, so they can pursue a career first, making education more valuable to them.

Question 53

What are some reasons why boys may be underachieving?

Answer 53

1= An indentity crisis 2= Lower expectations 3= No role models 4= Lack of reading

Question 54

Boys may be having an _________ _______. The rise of female ______________, decline of ______________ role for men and the rise of male _____________ might mean that boys don't see the ______ in education, leading to _____-_______ ____________.

Answer 54

identity crisis independence breadwinner unemployment value anti-school subcultures

Question 55

How can Willis be linked to gender and achievement?

Answer 55

Willis studied a group of boys who formed a subculture - maybe this was a response to the identity crisis?

Question 56

What may affect gendered subject choice?

Answer 56

1= Gender socialisation 2= Parental expectations 3= Teachers

Question 57

How may socialisation affect gendered subject choices?

Answer 57

The ideas of femininity and masculinity can create expectations and stereotypes of what pupils should study. Kelly (1987) found that sceince is a male subject.

Question 58

How may parental expectations affect gendered subject choices?

Answer 58

Parents may encourage their children to follow what they see as the traditional 'normal' choice for their gender. Theres a pressure to conform to a social norm.

Question 59

How may teachers influence gendered subject choices?

Answer 59

A good example to explain this is that most physics teachers are male, meaning their are more male than female role models within this subject.